"So, tell me again, exactly why you told the Malfoy family who Hadrian is," Sarah Chaulin said, pressing an ink stained hand to her forehead as she massaged away the tension. The privacy barrier around her and Cecily was reinforced with silencing charms and an opaque glass charm that lawyers in the wizarding world only really used in court.
"Honestly, because I know that the more political influence someone has, the better their protection is. Lucius Malfoy is someone who would protect those closest to him. If he and his heir can provide the protection, me and mine cannot, then I'll gladly accept the Malfoy's gesture of friendship." Cecily answered, straightforwardly. "Plus, I want to see what I can do for Narcissa."
Sarah looked up at her client and friend. "What's wrong with Lady Black?"
Cecily just shook her head. "Not my place to tell, Sarah. Besides that, it'll be better in the long run if Hadrian is surrounded by powerful wizards. He's only surrounded by three at home, and we are not enough to stop Dumbledore nor the Dark Lord from taken and/or killing my son."
Sarah nodded and sighed deeply. "I see your points and agree with you. The old man is causing trouble- well he has been causing trouble, but more than usual. I believe, that it has something to do with your son coming to Hogwarts." She waved her wand and the barriers and charms dropped.
"Everything okay?" Severus whispered in her ear from his spot on her left. Cecily shook her head and turned to look at him. Their lips nearly brushed.
Cecily released a little cough and leaned back a but to look at the dark haired man. "Sarah is a very cautious person..."
"She should be in her profession, she'll never fully know just the type of person she represents." Severus interrupted, his tone soft.
"Yes, well, she also doesn't really trust anyone and takes her job very seriously. She just had to ask me some questions." Cecily replied, patting his hand. Severus glanced down at her hand resting on his and slowly entwined their fingers together.
"Now," Sarah said, dropping a file onto her desk and effectively breaking the reverie of the duo. "Let's get on with business, shall we?"
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After affirming an alliance with the Malfoy family, they went their separate ways. Cecily led her boys back into Diagon, towards Ollivanders for Harry's first wand.
"But what if I don't find my wand at Ollivanders?" Harry asked, walking with a little skip in his step. He glanced up at his mum and watched as a thoughtful expression passed her face.
"Then, we'll just have to find someone who can make you one; one that'll fit you perfectly." She replied, smiling at her.
"There's always Gregorovich." Remus chimed in. Severus snorted and rolled his eyes.
"He rarely makes wands for anyone anymore. We're better off going to Ollivanders than him at this point." Severus replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Could Grandma make me one?" Harry asked, curiously. Thaea seemed like she could make him the best wand ever.
Cecily shook her head. "My mother is good at many things, but Wandmaking is not one of them. She gets too impatient with weaving the wood and the core together."
Harry nodded and hummed as they entered the building. He gasped as he looked around. Floor to ceiling shelves with hundreds of wands filled the room. A small counter with a bell sat in front of the door and a book was open on top of it. Nobody was inside, besides them.
"Hello?" Harry called out, albeit a bit quietly. Cecily nudged him, silently telling him to speak up.
"Hello?" He called out a louder. An old man appeared on a ladder, rolling across the shelves until he could see who was in his shop.
"Well... I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter." The old man said, his eyes twinkling with an unknown emotion. He climbed down the ladder and came to face them. "Though, now, I hear that you are a Graemark." If there was one thing Cecily Graemark was never going to question, was how Master Ollivander knew anyone and everyone, no matter adoption or glamour. It made her curious to know if he had the Sight.
Cecily smiled and ran a hand through her son's hair. "That he is."
Ollivander smiled at them. "And I remember when you came in; just a small, strong willed girl, with an unusual wand. 12 ¼ inches, Larch wood with a Phoenix feather core- very rare, indeed- and it had a slightly yielding flexibility. Overall, a perfect wand for the Headmaster of the Unspeakables." He said, winking at her. Cecily laughed lightly and smiled at him.
Ollivander sighed, melancholic. "It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands." He continued, moving over to a shelf and rifling through it. He made a noise of exclamation and pulled out a box. He moved over the the counter and took the wand out of the box, handing it over to Harry.
"Here we are." He said, looking at Harry expectantly. Harry looked at the wand and back at him. Cecily choked back a laugh at the look on her son's face.
"Well, give it a wave!" Ollivander said, gesturing to him. Harry licked his lips and whipped the wand in the air; the slight use of magic cause boxes from another shelf to fall on the ground.
Harry looked back at him sheepishly and quickly put the wand back on the table.
"Apparently not." Ollivander commented, moving around the desk to another shelf, where another wand box called out to him. "Perhaps, this." He continued, handing another wand to Harry. He waved the wand again and this time a vase shattered, sending flowers and water to the floor.
"Oh, dear. "Cecily murmured to Severus and Remus. "Maybe he was right."
Remus rubbed her shoulder. "Just give it a few more times. The wand chooses, remember." Cecily nodded and pursed her lips.
"No, no. Definitely not." Ollivander said, moving towards the back, to another shelf. "No matter..." He pulled down a third box and stared at it curiously. "I wonder..." He turned and stared at Harry for a brief moment before walking over to him. He pulled out a dark wood wand and held it in front of Harry. The ebony haired boy took it gingerly and as soon as he touched it, a light breeze picked up around the room, swirling and whirling around him; he gasped as his magical core stretched and reached out for the wand, to be connected to it. Ollivander looked at him in surprise and awe.
"Curious... very curious." He said, still looking around.
"S-sorry, but what's curious?" Harry asked, looking at the wandmaker in confusion. Ollivander took the wand back from him.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Graemark. It so happens, that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand, gave another feather. Just one other. It is curious that you should be destined for this one when it's brother gave you that scar." Harry looked at him shocked and brushed a few of his fingers across it.
"A-and who owned that wand." He questioned.
"We do not speak his name. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Graemark. It's not always clear why... but, I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things, terrible, but great." Ollivander handed the wand back to him and moved into the back. A light, but prominent pecking sound brought their attention to the window.
A beautiful bird with purple/blue plumage and a white underbelly, hovered in front of the window; it was an official Ministry carrier bird. A small scroll was attached to its leg.
Cecily grimaced and turned to Harry, who was still staring at his wand. "Hadrian, sweetheart, I need you to stay here with Remus and Severus, okay?"
He looked up at her and furrowed his brow. "Where are you going?"
Cecily sighed. "Hopefully nowhere, but I've got a message from the Ministry, I've got to answer, okay? I'll be right back." Harry nodded and turned back to his wand. Cecily looked at the Remus and Severus and nodded a bit grimly. She patted them on the shoulders as she made her way outside.
The starling chirped at her and alighted on her outstretched hand. She whistled back at it and took the note from it, watching as it took off quickly once it was free.
Cecily shook her head at the bird and opened the note.
Cecily,
It's good to have you back. We have much to discuss.
Please come to my office on the 30th- 9pm on the dot if you will.
Regards,
Lucian
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Date: August 30th, 1991/ Ministry of Magic- Department of Mysteries
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"Welcome home, young one." Lucian said, clapping Cecily on the shoulder. His thin frame shuffled over to a large, plush chair and sat down with a relaxed sigh.
"You seem to be weaker since the last time I saw you, Lucian.... What have you been dabbling in, old friend?" Cecily asked, sitting down in the chair next to him. Lucian smiled weakly at her and flicked his hand towards the fireplace, lighting it with a practiced ease.
"There was an... accident, in the time room about three years back." He replied, his voice dripping with age.
"What happened?" Cecily asked, leaning forward in her seat. Lucian gestured to a wide bowl sitting on his desk as he coughed into a handkerchief.
"A pensieve?" She asked in surprise.
Lucian nodded. "I've prepared the memories for you ahead of time, so you could see what's been happening since you left."
Cecily stood up, walking hesitantly over to his desk. She looked at the marbled bowl, running a finger around the edge as she stared down into the misty water. She glanced at Lucian, who was facing the fire, before gazing back into the water. She took a steady breath and dipped inside.
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"Snyde! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Well, well. Headmaster Grim, how unpleasant to see you."
"Snyde, back away from that, you don't know what you're doing!"
"I know enough about it, Old Man, and I'll be the one to bring him back!"
"No, Snyde, do-!"
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Cecily gasped and opened her eyes, backing away from the pensieve. She collapsed into Lucian's desk chair.
"Unspeakable Snyde was tested by St. Mungos. He was Imperiused, by who, we don't know yet." Lucian said, walking over to her. He pulled out his wand and put the memories back into their bottles.
"What's the status on the prophecy room? Was anything damaged?"
Lucian shook his head, leaning his hip against his desk. "No. No, fortunately, I was able to cast a quick Protego, before any damage was done. The backlash, however, weakened me and killed Snyde."
Cecily nodded and looked at her hands contemplating. "We need more security measures in place then."
"I'm in the process of putting more wards and updating the rules." Lucian patted her shoulder and cleared his throat. "Now, enough about work, how is the little tyke?"
Cecily huffed. "Well, he's nothing like his parents, which could be seen as either a good thing or a bad thing. His strong, Lucian," She looked at the graying man. "And so free-willed. These past few years have been amazing, just watching him grow up."
Lucian chuckled. "It sounds like he's quite the handful." Cecily snorted.
"You have no idea. He met, not only my mother yesterday, but the Malfoys as well. Draco and him are best friends, I think." She said, a smile curling her lips.
Lucian raised an eyebrow, surprised. "The Malfoys. You better be careful with that family, Cecily. You know their reputation."
Cecily huffed and stood up. "I know, I know. But, I've weighed all the factors and having them on our side is more beneficial than not; and that goes both ways." She looked into the fire. "The political sphere is going to be adding another member when Harry goes to Hogwarts, so having someone who know how to slip and slide through the conversations of the rest of the Lords and Ladies of Court, is someone I need to have on my side."
"What about Severus? Could he not come with you to Court?" Lucian asked, looking at her puzzled. "He was known to have quite a silvertongue."
Cecily sighed. "Severus is teaching at Hogwarts this year, Lucian. He'll be too busy to come with me. Remus won't even be allowed through the doors, let alone allowed to come into an official Court meeting. You know how Britain is with werewolves."
Lucian nodded gravely. "That I do." He clapped his hands. "Well, then, the Malfoys are the best choice then. They, themselves, are not a declared Dark house, but neither are they Light. In the eyes of court, they're neutral."
Cecily licked her lips and nodded. "Yes, I had figured that."
Lucian shook his head and hummed, walking over to where Cecily stood. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him.
"Everything will be alright, Cecily. Hadrian is in good hands and you and the boys are doing a good job in raising him. He will do some extraordinary things in his life. I can feel it." He clapped her on the arm and shuffled back to his desk.
Cecily's eyes flickered with the fire. "But trouble will follow him first, that I feel." she murmured to herself.
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Date: September 1, 1991/ King's Cross Station
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Harry stood anxiously with his bags; his mama and Uncle Remus stood behind him, talking quietly to each other- their hands were entwined and Harry hid a smile at that. Future and returning Hogwarts students moved around them and Harry strained his neck trying to find Draco in the sea of Wizards and Witches.
Spotting the familiar white blonde of Lucius Malfoy, Harry grinned widely.
"Mama, I found Lucius! Can I go say hi to Draco?" He asked, looking up at his mother with the best puppy eyes he could muster up. Cecily looked down at him with an amused expression.
"As long as you don't get lost, I think that's fine. Also, you should be back here as soon as you hear the train, alright?" She said, looking at the pocket watch.
Harry nodded vigorously. "I'll be careful, Mama!" And with that he was off and into the crowds.
Remus tugged on Cecily's hand, getting her attention. "Are you sure that was wise? What if he runs into one of Dumbledore's lackeys?"
Cecily smiled at him. "Nothing will happen in public, especially in front of students. And in case something does happen to him, I've got tracking spells and protection wards on him."
Remus smirked. "The always prepare Mama Bear." Cecily snorted, but grinned a little wider.
Harry weaved in and out of people, making his way to the tall persona of Lucius. He waved at Draco when he caught sight of his best friend, but just as he was about to reach them, he tripped over someone's bag.
"Oh dear! Ronald! Pick up your bag this instant, you'll kill someone with it one of these days, I swear!" Gentle, but strong hands helped him up and brushed him off and when he looked up, it was into warm brown eyes. Red hair streaked with grey was pulled away from a plump face and a kind smile appeared.
"There you go, right as rain. Ronald Weasley, come over here and apologize!" The woman said, standing straight as she called over one of her sons. Harry looked over to see a gaggle of redheads surrounding them. A boy who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than here, a set of twins that were grinning at him, a younger boy with lanky limbs who looked sheepishly at Harry, and a girl who was blushing and hiding behind one of her brothers.
The young boy walked over to him with his head bowed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave my bag on the ground. I was just trying to get Scabbers, you see." He held out a rat to Harry, who looked at it curiously. He pet it gently.
Smiling at Ronald, Harry said, "It's okay, I should have been watching where I was going. I'm Hadrian Graemark, but you can call me Harry." He stuck out his hand to the ginger.
Ron smiled back and accepted the handshake. "Ron Weasley."
"Harry!" Draco called, wriggling past the twins to get to his friend. Harry grinned widely and threw his arms around his friend.
"Draco! How have you been? Oh, look, I've meet some new people! This is Ron Weasley, my new friend." Harry said, gesturing to the Weasley clan. Draco wrinkled his nose.
"Weasley's? Harry, they're blood traitors." Draco whispered to him. Harry frowned at him and then smacked his arm. "Wha- Harry!"
Harry stuck his tongue out at him. "Don't say things like that Draco, it's not nice. Plus, I like them. Now, go introduce yourself."
Draco groaned. "You've such a soft heart, Harry." He gave the ebony haired teen an exasperated look before going up to Ron and giving him his hand. "Draco Malfoy."
Ron wrinkled his nose at him. "Malfoy. Ron Weasley." He shook Draco's hand gingerly. Draco scowled at him.
"Weasley." Ron narrowed his eyes at him. Stupid blonde git.
Harry grinned at the two, oblivious at the tension between the two. He tossed his arms around the two of them. "I feel like we're going to have the best first year together." Draco and Ron simultaneously rolled their eyes.
"Not with him." They said together. They looked at each other and glared.
"Don't copy me!" They broke away from Harry to stand in front of each other. Harry shook his head at them.
"Stop that!" They continued together. The train whistle blew, echoing throughout the station, but it didn't even phase the two boys who were arguing.
Harry chuckled and pat them on the shoulders. "I've got to get back to my mama, I'll see you guys on the train, yeah? Bye!" The duo said goodbye and then immediately went back to arguing.
Harry just snorted and made his way back to his mother. Those two were going to be rivals, that much was clear. He couldn't wait to see what the year was going to be like!